Should you buy a new PC or repair your old one?

This has been a discussion as old as DOS 2.2. You’ve had your PC for a number of years, and all of a sudden you get that BSOD (blue screen of death) with some computer jargon that looks very serious. Time to re-buy another PC? Not so fast. A New PC will run you $500 for a good budget buy, and that price can go up to as much as the sky is high, depending on how weak (or mad) you are at the store or website your shopping at.

We just had a call dealing with this question, and the client was so upset with the dead PC, they were asking where to buy a good new one. Before spending, ask yourself a big question first. Are there other options? The short answer is, “Yes”.

9 times out of 10, your ‘old PC can be repaired, as computers are basically a pile of parts stuck in a box. Just because one part breaks doesn’t mean the other parts don’t have years of life left in them. If you only need a new hard drive or memory or some other failed part, the repair is well under $200; in most cases under $100. If your operating system is Windows XP and you want a newer system, you can upgrade for $50-$100.

Maybe you just want a change. If so, there is an overload of USED PC’s out there too. A few clicks on Google will tell you how well a used PC is rated and reviewed. It’s always nice to see how well the PC does BEFORE you buy it. Then, you can buy a great, used PC that cost $1,000++ new, for a MUCH discounted price for the same machine that is now 1-2 years old.